Author's Notes:
Hey guys! Hope you guys have been doing well. Just wanted to say thank you to all your support. This story is already more popular than my other story and that was just within the first month XD. If you also read that work than sorry for the wait, school is honestly a pain in the grass but hey, what can you do except slowly suffer¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . Anyways, hope you guys like this chapter so without further adieu, let's get right into it!
Disclaimer: Naruto and One Piece are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda
Chapter 2: Flowers
Ino Yamanaka, a platinum blonde aspiring to become a kunoichi, sat behind the counter of her family's flower shop, her head face down on the wood as she grumbled to herself about the events earlier that day in class.
"Cheh, damn Forehead beat me to the punch. She got to sit with Sasuke-kun all day! How unfair. Iruka-sensei will be announcing the team placements tomorrow, so it'll be my last chance to sit with Sasuke-kun. Knowing tousan's team, I'll be stuck with lazy bones and food boy. Urghh, damn it Kami, throw me a bone or something." She was interrupted from her thoughts by the ringing of the doorbell. "Welcome to Yamanaka Flowers. How can I help you?" She murmured unenthused, her head still on the counter top.
"Hi, I'm looking to buy some flowers as well as some herbs if you sell any. Oh yeah, I'm going to need some tools. Could you throw in a gardening set as well?" Ino was brought out of her stupor by the sound of the voice. It sounded like a boy around her age. She was correct to assume because as she looked up, she spotted a boy looking through the store, a few pots of lavender and calendulas already in his arms.
"Uh, yeah we have some herbs but not much. We sell more of flowers than anything." She replied grabbing his attention, his appearance confusing her.
'Who is this guy? I've never seen him before. Surely, I would've seen him at the academy or something.'
"Hm, well I should be able to buy the general stuff from the market area." He paused before dropping the pots on the counter and put on a thinking posture.
"You must be new right?"
"Sort of, I was born here but moved away a little later. Just came back today actually. The name's Naruto, Ichiraku D. Naruto. Nice to meet you." Naruto said with a grin. Ino couldn't help but smile back. She didn't know why but that smile of his was contagious. "Hey, do you have any other flowers somewhere?"
"Yeah we usually only put out the popular ones. We have more out in the back. Why, looking for anything in particular?"
"I'm looking for some echinacea, elecampane, valerian and some yarrow." Ino was shocked at the boy's knowledge of some of the uncommon flowers.
"Wow wasn't expecting those. You're planting one weird garden. They're all so diverse and different." She responded whilst helping him grab the requested flowers from out back. She was intrigued though as to why he wanted those flowers in particular. Usually customers would buy roses, lilies or other nice smelling and good-looking flowers, yet here was a boy who opted to go for uncommon flowers which didn't look as appealing in her opinion.
"I'm not really buying them for their looks or their smell, well maybe a little, but I want those particular flowers because they each have medicinal properties that, when processed properly, can be turned into salves or other medical supplies. I may not look like it but I'm an aspiring medic. Let me tell you now, I'm going to be the greatest medic, believe it dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed with a smile, his eyes looked on with determination. Ino looked at him amazed at his conviction before cracking a smile then laughing at his verbal tic.
"A medic huh, that's pretty cool." She said turning to the flowers that Naruto picked out. "So what sort of properties do these flowers have? I never really payed any real attention to what they can be used for whenever my parents taught me." She continued sheepishly.
"The calendulas I grabbed can be turned into an ointment for healing burns, cuts and other small wounds. The echinacea is known for its use as an antibiotic. The elecampane can be turned into a medicine that affects humans more internally as it helps with lung problems, congestions, colds and stuff like that. Although the flower of the valerian smells good, the root smells bad right? Well you can use it as a muscle relaxant and as a calming herb, similar to the lavender. Finally, the yarrow can be used to help treat fevers, colds, hay fever, diarrhea and other similar symptoms. It can also help stop blood flow, although to a small extent."
Ino listened on with interest, wishing she could've written this down on a note pad or something. It sounded really helpful. She helped put all the flowers in bags rehearsing the medicinal properties and uses of each plant as she bagged them until she reached the last flower.
"What about this one? The hydrangeas?" She asked looking at the bouquet of pink and blue flowers. Naruto's smile faltered a little before shifting into a sombre smile.
"Those aren't for medicine. They're… for my family." The change in tone as well as the pained expression was all Ino needed to know especially as flower symbolism was something she specialised in. The pink colours represent love, sincere emotions whilst the blue symbolised forgiveness, regret and rejection. Flowers commonly used for graves.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." She muttered regretfully, her head hanging low. Naruto only gave a warm smile before poking Ino's forehead, eliciting an "ow" from her.
"Hey, don't worry about it. You didn't know; besides, they wouldn't want me to mourn for them. They would want me to continue living my life to the fullest, with a smile on my face. In fact, they're the reason why I'm on the path to becoming a medic, so that I'll have the ability to help anyone in need, so that no one else will have to lose their loved ones." He stepped away from her, looking directly at her eyes that were now looking straight back at him and no longer at the floor. He held that gaze for a moment longer, making sure she was feeling better before giving one final smile and turning around with his bags of flowers in hand.
"I got to go now but it was nice meeting you Ino, see you around." With that, Naruto left the store, leaving the platinum blonde to her own thoughts.
Naruto walked down the streets, the sky beginning to shift from the orange of the afternoon to the dark blue of the night, settling Konoha in a peaceful twilight. Looking around, Naruto could tell that the village hasn't changed much in the last 6 years. The buildings were the same. The hustle and bustle of the village quieting down as they separate to go either to their homes or to the bars for a late-night drink was the same. Everything was pretty much the same… except for what lay ahead of him, his destination. In front of him was an empty space, the nearby walls still had remnants of scorch marks. Nearing the empty space, Naruto pulled out the hydrangeas and laid them on the floor. The blonde sat down in front of the flowers and pulled out some supplies like a thermostat and an instant ramen cup.
"Hey Jiji… Nee-chan. It's been awhile." Naruto said as he poured the hot water from the thermostat into the cup. He paused for a little longer as he emptied the contents of the sachet into the cup and watched as it dissolved into the hot water. "Heh, it ain't no Ichiraku ramen but it'll do… Man, I'm going to really miss your cooking…" Naruto shook his head in an attempt to stop his thoughts from spiralling down that direction. He looked back up at the flowers, tears clinging to his eyes, making his vision a blurry mess. The blonde wiped at his eyes before continuing.
"No, I didn't come here to cry and feel sad. Anyways, sorry for not visiting sooner, but I've done a lot these past 6 years." Naruto's tone slightly changed from sombre to a more upbeat tone at the mention of his journey so far. "I met a man who took me under his wing and taught so much about medicine. He's like a sensei to me, but more than that, he's like the big brother I never had. He would teach me everything he knew about the healing arts while taking care of me like I was his own blood. I've spent every waking hour working towards fulfilling my promise. I've learnt so much under him. I feel like I can finally repay your kindness now. I may have a lot to learn still but I feel like I can actually help people, to save people… like how you saved me from myself that night; both you guys and Nii-san."
Naruto quietened down as he begun to enjoy the now silent streets, the slight wind tussling his hair only served to add to the serene atmosphere. The blonde boy looked up towards the stars as he savoured the taste of the ramen in his hands. Two particular stars twinkled above brighter than the rest of the scattered lights. Naruto didn't know why, but he could only assume that it was Teuchi and Ayame up there smiling down at him as if they were proud of the boy he has grew up to be. The notion made the blonde to smile, any remnants of sadness left was gone.
"I see, this is where you were." Turning around, Naruto spotted the robed figure of Konoha's Hokage walking towards him.
"Hey Jiji, yeah I was just here to pay my respects to the Ichirakus." Naruto replied as Hiruzen sat down next to him. It didn't bother the aging man that he wasn't acting very Hokage like at the moment with the way he was sitting on the floor in the street, but no one was around anyway so he didn't really care. The two sat there in comfortable silence, letting the night do the talking for the moment. The assemble of crickets and night birds singing their nightly songs, the rhythmic tune doing nothing but adding to the ambiance. As if in response, the shadows cast by the lanterns nearby seemed to dance to the tune in slow fluid motions.
"With all the excitement earlier, I forgot to ask you what your plans were now that you're back." Hiruzen asked through puffs of smoke. Silence resumed as Naruto thought this over.
"Well you are still warming that seat for me, so I better become a kick ass medic nin quick." Naruto quipped back with a cheeky grin before getting a slightly worried face, signs of amusement evident in his eyes. "I can still become a ninja, right? I'm not too late, am I? Oh no… Don't tell me I have to take a stupid written test do I Jiji? Please Kami say I don't."
Hiruzen just laughed at the boy before ruffling his hair with his free hand. "Don't worry Naruto, you won't have to do any written test. You did manage to get the jump on the Hokage and his attending Anbu without getting noticed before you were right in front of me. Although that does pose a question though. Team placements are ready to go tomorrow, and I need to find you a cell to join. Hmm…" The aging Hokage wondered, his hand on his chin in a pondering gesture. His train of thought was interrupted by a yawn next to him.
"Well I'll think of something, you must be tired. As you probably would have guessed, your old apartment is no longer viable, so you can live with me and my grandson in the Sarutobi compound. We have rooms to spare."
With a nod, Naruto quickly finished the rest of his meal before standing up and dusted his pants. After disposing of his rubbish in a nearby trash can, he turned to leave towards the Sarutobi residence with the Hokage in tow before stopping and casting a last glance upwards. The blonde boy pointed to wards the stars with a grin on his face.
"Just you wait; I will be the best Medic Nin the world has ever saw. I will be a legend that you guys can be proud of, so you better keep on cheering me on up there Teuchi-jiji, Ayame-nee chan." With that proclamation said and done, Naruto continued his walk back to his new home, a proud and smiling Hiruzen trailing shortly behind.
Author's Notes:
So what did you think? I added some medical and floral knowledge to showcase Naruto's knowledge on medicine as well as to get him and Ino to meet. I figured getting their first meeting to be about both their professions would be a good starting point so I did some research on medicinal properties on flowers. What are your thoughts on it? Should I keep doing similar stuff and add medical knowledge into the mix in the future chapters or mainly keep his practice to healing people? Let me know.
Also, Ichiraku D. Naruto. I thought Naruto bearing the name of Ichiraku as a memento to his pseudo family would be a cool idea. As for the "D.", well, you're just going to have to wait and see how he came to bear the initial "D."
Finally before I go, I wanted to get your opinions on Naruto's team. I kind of have the idea of him being on a 2 man cell with Naruto being a tokubetsu genin, since there wouldn't be an available spot for Naruto on Team 7 after not being in Konoha for 6 years. However that's just my thoughts and I'm not really sure on how to progress so I'll let the decision be up to you.
He can be on either:
Team 7
Team 8 (Replace a character)
Team 10 (Replace a character)
Two man cell (Naruto, Tokubetsu Genin and a Jounin Teacher)
Edit: I made a poll although I have no idea if I did it right ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
And that's all I have to say, thanks for getting this far and I hope you enjoy what this story has to offer. Ciao